Libya's neighbors watch descent into chaos with new fears

Published 5:52 am, Monday, February 15, 2016

ALGERS, Algeria (AP) — Libya's North African neighbors, afraid of the country's further descent into chaos, are planning an urgent meeting to coordinate border controls and tamp down the unrest they fear will spread.

A senior Algerian diplomat, Abdelkader Messahel, called Sunday for the meeting in Tunisia. He said Libya should install its newly proposed government quickly "and restore order to this country." The 18-member Libyan government must still be approved by parliament, which rejected a previous proposal.

Tunisia, the only country to emerge from the Arab Spring uprisings with a democracy, has suffered multiple attacks at the hands of Islamic State extremists trained in Libya, and officials there fear contagion from Libya's instability. Algeria also has fought ongoing battles with Islamic extremists, and both countries fear Western military intervention will exacerbate the problem.